Mohammed Abu Zaid

CAIRO: An Egyptian government poll has found that fewer citizens are now unwilling to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Those not willing to do so fell from 22.4 percent in October to 17.4 percent in November, according to the poll conducted by the Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center. The government conducts polls periodically to identify trends that could assist in vaccine rollout.

The drop in those opposed to vaccination has coincided with the wider availability of vaccines, including at subway stations.

In addition, the government has begun banning citizens from entry to state facilities if they are unvaccinated, or if their PCR tests for the virus are older than 72 hours.

The poll also found that 49.7 percent of those citizens sampled in November stated that they had already taken the vaccine, an increase of about 17 percent from the previous month.

Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, spokesman for the Health Ministry, said that more than 48 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Egypt.

Abdel Ghaffar said the ministry would soon provide booster shots for medical staff and those most vulnerable to illness, including older persons and those suffering from chronic diseases.

Egypt recorded 863 new coronavirus cases and 45 deaths on Sunday.